Shelter in a Storm
by ATTHS
Summary: Scully and Mulder find themselves up a literal tree, stuck for the night in a cold treehouse. Set during season six-ish.


"I know it's not ideal," Mulder said above a crack of thunder and the deluge of rain. "But, at least it's shelter."

"Shut up, Mulder," Scully growled under her breath, shivering in the cold air, her breath billowing out in front of her.

Glancing over, she narrowed her eyes at him and rubbed her arms harder, trying to bring some warmth into them. He was blowing into his hands, white condensation escaping through his fingers.

A treehouse. A fucking treehouse. How did they end up in situations like this one? In a treehouse beside a currently empty home, in the pouring rain, night as black as pitch, and no way to get down, the little shits absconding with the ladder.

Three days in some tiny town, a case leading nowhere and local youths who had been hounding them since they arrived. A call had come in that a person was hurt and in need of help. A voice calling from the treehouse turned out to be a recording, which they only discovered as the tall ladder was taken away and the group of youths laughed, carrying it with them running through the field.

"Little shits," she muttered through chattering teeth, her hands in her armpits, hoping to gain some warmth.

"I have no service on my phone and I doubt they'd be able to make it out here in this weather anyway," he said, and she rolled her eyes. He shone his flashlight around and searched the treehouse, moving things about as he did.

Flashlights were the only lights they had and even those were too dim in the thick inky black night that surrounded them. Despite the fact that they _were_ in a treehouse, she had to admit that at least it was a decently constructed one.

It was not one made by kids looking for a fun few hours with scraps of wood, but rather a prefabricated one; though with an annoying lack of stairs. It was one floored room with built in shelves, storage bins that doubled as seats, and three small windows. There was a rug and a portable heater, which was more of a waste of space as it did not work.

Comic books, candy wrappers and empty soda cans, littered the floor along with the cassette player that had been playing the cry for help. Flipping up the collar of her coat, Scully shivered again, hating the town and wishing she could personally arrest each of those smug little pricks.

"Aha!" Mulder shouted and she jumped as she looked over at him. He had one of the storage bins open and was pulling a sleeping bag from inside. He threw it to her, the musty smell hitting her as she caught it.

Unrolling it, not caring about the smell, she unzipped it and wrapped it around herself with a shiver. He pulled another one out and set it aside, reaching back inside the bin.

"Look at this." He held up two plastic bags with a smile. "They must spend a lot of time here, judging by these and the mess all around." Opening one of the bags, he took out some hand warmers and handed them to her.

She took two of them, shaking them quickly, and they began to warm up. Holding them in her hands, she brought them to her cold ears and she sighed as thunder cracked and lightning flashed.

"I think we should zip the sleeping bags together and conserve body heat. It's fucking freezing in here," he said, unzipping his bag and reaching for hers. She let him take it and then held the hand warmers to her face.

Zipping them together, he cleared a space on the floor and laid it out. Taking off his shoes, he pulled the sleeping bag open and grabbed the plastic bags with a glance at her. She nodded and took her shoes off, setting them in a corner.

"Hand me a few more of those hand warmers," she said, putting the two she had into her shirt, inside her bra. Taking more from him, she shook them and put them in her socks and then the pockets of her pants.

She slid inside the sleeping bag and he followed after adding the warmers to his socks and pockets. Leaving the plastic bags and flashlights by their heads, they both lay down on their sides facing one another.

"Little shits," he breathed and she nodded, still hearing their laughter as they ran away. "I know it doesn't really fix anything, as we're still in this damn treehouse, but at least we have the limited supplies we have. Some jerky and chocolate bars too."

"Mulder…"

"I know, Scully. They've been pushing and harassing us since we got here, but a call for help… how were we supposed to ignore it?" he asked and she sighed.

"I know. I _do_. It's just…" Thunder boomed, cracking so close it felt as though it was right on top of them. She closed her eyes and let out a breath, waiting for it to stop.

When she opened them, Mulder was staring at her, and she sighed again. He lay his arm above her head and raised his eyebrows. She lifted her head and he moved his arm. Laying her back down, she scooted closer to him, his arm now being used as a makeshift pillow.

"I'm going to list the good and then you can say the bad, so we can have a tally for later when I will inevitably see that eyebrow raise with annoyance at this memory." She scoffed as she moved even closer, seeking the warmth of his body.

"Okay… one: we made it up here before the rain started, so we aren't cold _and _wet. Two: this treehouse seems to be weatherproof, knock on wood," he said, knocking the floor, causing her to laugh as her head bounced slightly. "Three: we have these sleeping bags and hand warmers. Four: there is some food to keep us from starving. And five… well at least we're together and not shot or seriously injured while we have to hunker down with no cell reception."

She shook her head against his shoulder, his arm moving to her back, as hers went around his waist. Another shiver went through her, though her feet and hips felt warm. Sliding a leg between his, his feet brushing her own, she sighed.

"Your… your turn," he said, clearing his throat and swallowing hard enough for her to hear. She smiled, moving her foot to brush his toes, and his breath caught.

"My turn," she breathed. "Hmm. Okay. One: we're in a treehouse and not our motel rooms. Two: it's goddamn freezing in here. Three: we don't even know if we will be able to get down tomorrow. It's a long drop should we attempt to jump. Four: we don't have any water. Five: we're here together." He exhaled and shifted, pulling back to look at her.

"That's a bad thing?"

"Yes. Well, kind of?"

"Please explain that logic to me." She laughed and readjusted her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent as she tried to get warmer.

"It's simple really," she sighed. "If you were gone and I couldn't reach you, this weather being what it is, I would be out looking for you. Ergo… it's good and bad. Good as the heater is broken and we need the other for extra body heat. But also bad, as either of us would be out looking for the other, thus shortening the time we have to spend in this treehouse and these musty smelling sleeping bags." She took a deep breath at the end of her long explanation and he was oddly silent.

"Well…" he said after a few moments. "I can't argue with that logic. Except for one thing."

"What's that?" she asked as lightning filled the room with bright white light.

"You would need the ladder and using it in a thunderstorm would be quite irresponsible as electricity is attracted to metal. So to borrow your word- ergo, one of us would still be up here as the other stood below, sans ladder or with a giant metal conductor waiting to kill us both, and soaking wet in the freezing rain." He drew a deep breath of his own and she grinned.

"I see you've given this great thought."

"I am quite brilliant. Oxford graduate, you know."

"Oh, did you go to Oxford? I had no idea," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes.

"Have I not mentioned it?"

"Not today, you pompous ass," she replied, pinching his side. He jumped and she chuckled. "For an Oxford graduate you are, however, quite stupid at times. Who in their right mind would use a metal ladder in a thunderstorm? You ever hear of a wooden ladder, genius?"

"Ahh. Outsmarted once again. And by wood no less." She laughed loudly and he pulled her tighter to him as thunder cracked so loudly it reverberated in her entire body.

"I don't like this storm," she whispered and he hummed.

"At least we're here together," he whispered back and she nodded, closing her eyes and pressing in as close as she dared.

"It belongs in the good column. You were right," she murmured, suddenly very tired.

"I'm going to make you repeat that tomorrow when this awful night is over," he said into her hair.

"Don't hold your breath," she whispered, falling asleep to the sound of his laughter.

"Agents! Agents, you up there?" Called a voice and Scully's eyes flew open. She was lying on her right side, Mulder holding her tightly, her back to his front. No longer cold, but very warm from the sleeping bags and their intimate position.

"Agents!"

"Hmm," Mulder mumbled as she began to disentangle herself from his embrace and sit up. "What?"

"It sounds like the sheriff is down there," she said, on her knees as she made her way to one of the windows. Opening it, she looked out and saw the sheriff and two of the boys from last night. Little shits.

"Yes, we are up here. No thanks to those two, plus two others," she said sternly and the boys hung their heads.

"Yeah. We have the other two in custody for stealing a car," the sheriff called up.

"Little horrible shits," Mulder said behind her and she looked back at him. He was balling up the sleeping bags and shoving them back in the storage bin.

"We'll have a ladder here shortly. Carl is on his way," the sheriff called up and Scully looked back out the window.

"Thank you, Sheriff," she nodded and closed the window, picking up her shoes. Taking the long cold hand warmers from her bra, pockets, and socks, she put on her shoes.

Mulder removed his own warmers and tossed his on the floor beside hers. Picking up the plastic bags, he put them on top of the storage bins and looked at her.

"Can I interest you in a chocolate bar?" he asked with a half smile.

"No, you're buying me breakfast when we get out of this damned treehouse. I want some pancakes and bacon. I don't want to spoil that with old chocolate bars," she said cheekily.

"Oh. I'm buying breakfast, am I?"

"You are indeed."

"Hmm." He grinned as she smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Seems you should be paying as my list _was _longer."

"Yes, but mine was more sound. Ergo..."

"Ergo nothing. You told me I was right last night."

"I would never."

He tilted his head and she rubbed her lips together to keep from smiling. A metal clang was heard and then heavy footsteps as someone was climbing up towards them. The door on the floor opened and the sheriff popped his head inside.

"Y'all okay?"

"Perfectly fine," Mulder said, his eyes holding hers for a second before looking at the sheriff. "Though we're rather hungry. Can you recommend a good place for a conciliatory breakfast?"

The sheriff gave him a funny look but then nodded, disappearing back down the ladder. Mulder stood, hunched over, and took a couple of steps towards the door.

"Ergo…" he said softly with a smile, glancing at her with a wink before following the sheriff out the door and down the ladder.

She grinned and stepped to the door, already imagining platefuls of hot fluffy pancakes covered in syrup and butter.


End file.
